Lebanon

An unaged, unsweetened anise-flavored grape spirit from the Levant, characteristically served diluted with cold water, which precipitates a milky-white louche from dissolved anethole.

Small balls of leavened batter deep-fried until crisp and hollow, then soaked or drenched in fragrant rose- and orange-blossom-scented sugar syrup.

A Levantine mezze dip of whole aubergines charred directly over open flame until the skin blackens and the flesh collapses, then hand-worked with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil — the defining character being a deep, irreducible smokiness from the burnt skin.

A Levantine chopped salad of raw seasonal vegetables and crisped pita bread, unified by a sumac-forward lemon-and-olive-oil dressing that delivers bright, tangy acidity.

Foul Mdammas is a slow‑cooked, mashed fava‑bean preparation seasoned with garlic, lemon, cumin and finished with olive oil, traditionally served as a warm or room‑temperature dip.

A silky-smooth purée of slow-cooked chickpeas emulsified with tahini, fresh lemon juice, and garlic, finished with extra-virgin olive oil and served as a communal spread across the Levant.

A Levantine dish of ground lamb and/or beef kneaded with finely chopped parsley, onion and allspice, shaped onto skewers and char-grilled.

A baked Lebanese dish of two flat layers of pounded fine-bulgur-and-raw-lamb kibbeh dough encasing a spiced ground-meat-and-pine-nut filling, assembled in a greased tray, scored into diamond portions, and baked until the shell forms a golden, lightly crisped crust.

A Levantine preparation of very finely ground lean lamb blended with extra-fine bulgur and warm spices, formed into a thin-walled oval shell encasing a filling of spiced sautéed minced lamb, caramelized onion, and toasted pine nuts — eaten fried, baked, or raw.

A Levantine dish of very fresh raw lamb leg meat pounded smooth with fine bulgur, grated onion, and warm spices — served cold, dressed with olive oil, and eaten with flatbread.

A Levantine hot dessert of shredded wheat pastry (or semolina crust) packed over mild, stretchy white cheese, baked until golden, drenched in rose-scented sugar syrup, and finished with crushed pistachios.

A thin round of dough spread with a spiced minced-meat-and-tomato paste and oven-baked until the crust is crisp and the topping caramelized.

A Levantine dish of green beans slow-braised in olive oil with tomato, onion, and garlic until meltingly tender, eaten warm or at room temperature.

A thin yeasted flatbread whose surface is dimpled with fingertips to cradle a pressed-in topping — canonically a paste of wild za'atar blend and olive oil — then baked at high heat in a tabboun stone oven or on a convex saj griddle.

A Levantine staple of whole lentils and rice or bulgur cooked together until tender, crowned with a generous quantity of onions caramelized to deep mahogany sweetness — sometimes crisped to a frizzle.

Toasted vermicelli noodles folded into steamed white rice with butter and aromatics, a daily Lebanese rice preparation forming the foundation of most Levant meals.

A Lebanese whole baked fish smothered in a tart, garlicky tahini sauce sharpened with chilli, coriander and walnuts, served as a celebratory centrepiece especially in the coastal north.

An open-faced baked dough round or square topped with a thin layer of spiced minced lamb and onion, eaten as a savoury hand pie.

A Levantine street food of spiced marinated meat stacked on a vertical rotisserie, slow-roasted and shaved thin into flatbread with sauce and pickles.

Tabbouleh is a fresh herb‑centric Levantine salad whose primary ingredient is finely chopped parsley, complemented by diced tomatoes, minimal soaked bulgur wheat, and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Grape leaves rolled tightly around a rice-and-lamb filling and simmered in a lemony broth until tender.